Why is global trade important to the United States?

"Global business is not a one-way street, where only U.S. companies sell their wares and services throughout the world. Foreign competition in the domestic market used to be relatively rare but now occurs in almost every industry. In fact, U.S. makers of electronic goods, cameras, automobiles, fine china, tractors, leather goods, and a host of other consumer and industrial products have struggled to maintain their domestic market shares against foreign competitors. Toyota now has 14 percent of the U.S. auto market, followed by Honda at 9 percent and Nissan with 8 percent. Nevertheless, the global market has created vast new business opportunities for many U.S. firms. Many countries depend more on international commerce than the United States does. For example, France, Great Britain, and Germany all derive more than 55 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) from world trade, compared to about 28 percent for the United States. Nevertheless, the impact of international business on the U.S. economy is still impressive: Trade-dependent jobs have grown at a rate three times the growth of U.S.-dependent jobs. Every U.S. state has realized a growth of jobs attributable to trade. Trade has an effect on both service and manufacturing jobs. These statistics might seem to imply that practically every business in the United States is selling its wares throughout the world, but most is accounted for by big business. About 85 percent of all U.S. exports of manufactured goods are shipped by 250 companies. Yet, 98 percent of all exporters are small and medium-size firms."